Overdosing On Spiritual Advil
by Tyler Zach
“Whether you have a headache or muscle aches, a backache or minor arthritis pain, Advil is the way to get fast pain relief.” – advil.com
While I do not take Advil on a regular basis, I am a sound promoter of the drug. During a recent two-day snowboarding adventure at Breckenridge, I found myself taking 5-6 Advil a day. It worked wonders for my body and I know it will work wonders for you too!
There is a spiritual analogy here that I can’t stop thinking about. My friend Ben told me once that I always turn everything into a spiritual analogy. I admit that most are ridiculous, but I promise that this one is not.
We have the connotation that pain is bad. If we didn’t think that, then Advil would certainly not be on the market. Occasionally there are those boxers and wrestlers who boast that pain is their highest good, but we’ll leave them out of this equation for now.
Pain hurts, pain is ugly, pain equates to suffering, and getting rid of pain is often our highest goal. So we will do anything and everything to get rid of the pain as quickly as possible. A week ago, while experiencing a tough cold, I walked out of Target with Vitamins, Halls Defense drops, Coldeese drops, and Airborne. This was my get-healthy-as-soon-as-possible kit and it did a pretty good job!
While I am a fan of medical advances in relieving pain, I am not a fan of spiritual advil.
My definition of spiritual advil is simple: anything that distracts us from our need for God. Just as taking Advil distracts us from our bodily pain, so spiritual advil distracts us from our need for God. Whether we admit it or not, we were born with a huge void in our hearts which longs to be filled with nothing but God Himself. Did you know that? If not, you’re overdosing on spiritual advil right now.
What is your spiritual advil? It could be food, TV, a girlfriend/boyfriend, facebook, career, Playstation, staying busy, studying, fantasy books, pornography, sports, religious traditions, feeding your reputation, flirting, etc. A few of the things mentioned above are not unhealthy things. However, all of them have the power to do one thing: fill the void in your life so that you do not recognize your need for God.
If a man on a street corner offers a loaf of bread to local businessman and a homeless man walking by – whom do you think will be more excited? The answer is obvious: the one who has the greatest need. When Jesus said that He was the bread of life, He wasn’t primarily saying that He would care for our physical needs, but that He would provide for our spiritual needs.
If I wouldn't have loaded up on Advil on my snowboarding trip, I would’ve felt the pain rock my body in a deeper way. In the spiritual realm, this is a good thing. The less spiritual advil we take, the more we realize our need for God. And as you are aware, advil does not stop the pain, it simply hides you from it. The same is true for spiritual advil. Watching TV all night or spending all your energy boosting your career my hide the pain of a broken marriage, but it will not heal it. Only God can.
How can you reduce the amount of spiritual advil pills you take during the week so that your need for God will increase?
Better to do it now than later. Someday, at the end of the world, all our spiritual advil will be gone and the void in your heart will surface. Will you find that it is filled with God Himself?
“Whether you have a headache or muscle aches, a backache or minor arthritis pain, Advil is the way to get fast pain relief.” – advil.com
While I do not take Advil on a regular basis, I am a sound promoter of the drug. During a recent two-day snowboarding adventure at Breckenridge, I found myself taking 5-6 Advil a day. It worked wonders for my body and I know it will work wonders for you too!
There is a spiritual analogy here that I can’t stop thinking about. My friend Ben told me once that I always turn everything into a spiritual analogy. I admit that most are ridiculous, but I promise that this one is not.
We have the connotation that pain is bad. If we didn’t think that, then Advil would certainly not be on the market. Occasionally there are those boxers and wrestlers who boast that pain is their highest good, but we’ll leave them out of this equation for now.
Pain hurts, pain is ugly, pain equates to suffering, and getting rid of pain is often our highest goal. So we will do anything and everything to get rid of the pain as quickly as possible. A week ago, while experiencing a tough cold, I walked out of Target with Vitamins, Halls Defense drops, Coldeese drops, and Airborne. This was my get-healthy-as-soon-as-possible kit and it did a pretty good job!
While I am a fan of medical advances in relieving pain, I am not a fan of spiritual advil.
My definition of spiritual advil is simple: anything that distracts us from our need for God. Just as taking Advil distracts us from our bodily pain, so spiritual advil distracts us from our need for God. Whether we admit it or not, we were born with a huge void in our hearts which longs to be filled with nothing but God Himself. Did you know that? If not, you’re overdosing on spiritual advil right now.
What is your spiritual advil? It could be food, TV, a girlfriend/boyfriend, facebook, career, Playstation, staying busy, studying, fantasy books, pornography, sports, religious traditions, feeding your reputation, flirting, etc. A few of the things mentioned above are not unhealthy things. However, all of them have the power to do one thing: fill the void in your life so that you do not recognize your need for God.
If a man on a street corner offers a loaf of bread to local businessman and a homeless man walking by – whom do you think will be more excited? The answer is obvious: the one who has the greatest need. When Jesus said that He was the bread of life, He wasn’t primarily saying that He would care for our physical needs, but that He would provide for our spiritual needs.
If I wouldn't have loaded up on Advil on my snowboarding trip, I would’ve felt the pain rock my body in a deeper way. In the spiritual realm, this is a good thing. The less spiritual advil we take, the more we realize our need for God. And as you are aware, advil does not stop the pain, it simply hides you from it. The same is true for spiritual advil. Watching TV all night or spending all your energy boosting your career my hide the pain of a broken marriage, but it will not heal it. Only God can.
How can you reduce the amount of spiritual advil pills you take during the week so that your need for God will increase?
Better to do it now than later. Someday, at the end of the world, all our spiritual advil will be gone and the void in your heart will surface. Will you find that it is filled with God Himself?
posted by Tyler Zach at 10:42 AM
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